Two Souls, Two Hearts
by Nutty Fruitcake
Summary: Taken from the 100 Themes Challenge on DeviantArt. Throughout every obstacle, every hardship, and every moment in which Mari accused Shinji of hating her, one thing remained the same: their love for each other. Rated M for some chapters. Shinji x Marise
1. Under the Stars

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I decided to take on the 100 themes challenge from DeviantArt, and though it would be good to upload it here too, for those of you that don't follow me on there. ^^ It's good for me to try and expand my writing with these short chapters, this definitely will be a challenge for me! This entire anthology will basically embody the many quirks and levels to Shinji and Marise's relationship, so I hope you enjoy!

Bleach © Tite Kubo / Marise Asahina © angel808

* * *

><p><strong>Two Souls, Two Hearts Pt. 1<strong>

**Theme #76: Under the Stars**

It was under the stars that they shared their first kiss, under the stars that pent-up emotions finally came through after being locked inside for so long. It was difficult for Mari to do something so "embarrassing" as a simple kiss, but she needed to let him know how she felt. Yes, she had confessed to him that night on Christmas, but her mother always did tell that actions spoke louder than words.

And it was under those stars, the moment of that sweet kiss, that a figurative burst of fireworks went off just as it had literally went off behind them. Never had Marise experienced anything...so wonderful before, and especially not with a boy. It was surreal, like something out of a fairytale, though this was certainly not apart of her fantasy. This was real.

Most would think that for someone as lecherous as Shinji, a kiss would mean nothing. But this one, chaste, soft kiss from a crazy, curly-haired girl meant everything. All of his "first loves" were forgotten and replaced by this one true love.

Why was it that now he couldn't see anyone else but her? What was it about her that drew him so close to her; that intrigued him so much? Hirako Shinji was an observant and cunning man, no doubt about that, but this was one mystery he couldn't solve.

His love for Asahina Marise.


	2. New Love

**Two Souls, Two Hearts Pt. 2**

**Theme #6: New Love**

How was a person supposed to feel when they started a new love? Nervous, excited, worried, ecstatic, all of the above? Marise was so unsure of herself that at most times she felt anxious, feeling she was going to mess up and do something stupid every second she was with Shinji. She had always been conscious about what those around her thought, and now that she had a new "boyfriend" (it was still a little strange to think of Shinji as her boyfriend, meaning this was definitely new and would take some getting used to), she was even more aware of her shortcomings than ever.

What if he didn't like her curly hair? In the movies the man would run his fingers through the girl's naturally flawless, silky, _straight_ hair, something Mari did not have, as her hair was most definitely curlier than Shirley Temple's. She hated it herself at times, when she'd try and brush the tangles out of her hair, or when her mother used to, wailing out in agony (though most times she'd act a little immature just to annoy her mother).

What if he thought she wore too much pink? Staring at such a bright color might hurt his eyes, and then he wouldn't look at her at all! Or what if he'd tire of her awful cooking and singing? Didn't men love a woman who could cook, as the only way to a man's heart was through his stomach? And didn't the voice of a beautiful female's song put a man into a trance, unable to resist the sweet song?

Or gosh…what if he finally realized that he was stuck with a whiny, dramatic, stupid crybaby and wanted out as soon as possible? What if he got mad if she turned him away when he tried to kiss her from being too scared? What if he grew impatient with her and left her for another, prettier, kinder, smarter girl like so many other had?

"Geez Mari, what's up with ya?" Shinji asked, turning his head to look at her, slight concern in his brown eyes. "If I didn't know ya better I'd say ya were actually thinkin' about somethin' serious," he half-joked. He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in slow circles.

Mari shook her head quickly, faking a smile. "I'm just freaking out over that math quiz tomorrow! I'll probably fail and Mama will have another fit." They sat side-by-side on her bed, working on homework. Well, actually, Mari was the only one working on it, as Shinji has already finished his and was now helping Marise, who needed quite a bit of help. To her, math was just numbers jumbling inside her head; she absolutely hated it. "I want ice cream," she pouted forlornly, placing her pencil down on her notebook. "I can't do this. I just have to accept that I'm awful at math and just about everything else!"

"Ah, c'mon Mari," Shinji replied dismissively. "Yer just bein' dramatic."

"Hmph," she whimpered, slouching. "Aren't I always like this? Why don't you find a girl less dramatic then who doesn't always come to you for help with math? She'd probably excel at it and every other subject and would cook delicious meals for you and sing you love songs…"

"Whoa, Mari! It's like yer askin' me ta leave ya. I'm not goin' anywhere, what's got ya filled with these thoughts all of a sudden?"

She twirled a curl around her finger, twisting her lips into a pout. "Nothing…" she said vaguely.

Shinji let out a long sigh and placed a hand on her head, feeling her soft curves. Marise let out a small sigh and turned away. She stared at the wall and refused to turn around again. Maybe this was all just a joke. Maybe eventually, when Shinji got bored of her, he would leave for a girl he was actually serious about. She was a chase, a feisty one, she knew that, and for some guys, they liked the challenge and the chase. Some found her dramatics to be endearing…for a while that is. Eventually, her past boyfriends didn't keep silent in expressing their annoyance at her melodrama and overreacting to most everything; one of the many reasons they'd abruptly end it with her. It was only a matter of time before Shinji became normal and did the same.

Shinji leaned back against her many pillows, staring at the ceiling, his fingers laced over his chest. He knew what she was thinking. She was obviously pondering her inadequacies in relevancy to this new relationship and the effect it would have on it. He told her again and again there was nothing to worry about, but he'd have to drop a piano on her head for him to get through to her. After all, he had to practically sexually harass her on Christmas to show her that he was serious about her. Every action needed to be amplified ten times for Mari to believe them. Her emotions were loud and easy to see, but they were difficult to handle, and easily changed.

Sure he often teased her about her stupidity and her dramatics would annoy him every once in a while, but it never even crossed his mind to end it with her because of that. He remembered when she pulled out their horoscopes, arguing that they were completely incompatible with one another, which 1) Shinji thought was a bunch of bullshit, wondering why she even believed such superstitious things, and 2) he was not just amused by her energy, as the reading had said. He enjoyed her company, the things they did together, the words she said, strange as it was. Everything the girl did was pretty strange; she was just a mystery. She was his Goldilocks, but that didn't mean she played out the fairytale the same way every time. She made it different, always choosing to find some other route, making things interesting for his otherwise mundane life.

And yeah he'd be sitting bored in the warehouse if he didn't have her, and now that he did, he couldn't imagine letting her go, or being with anyone else for that matter. He loved her for everything she was goddamn it, why couldn't she see that?

His tongue felt against his teeth for the pieces of orange stuck there that he'd eaten early. Damn. He needed a toothpick. He glanced at his new girlfriend, who had made it so difficult for him to win him over. He finally did and now she was going to act like this? Sighing, Shinji leaned over, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her back against him. She blushed slightly, trying to wriggle free, but he wouldn't let go.

"Sh-Shinji," she sputtered, clearly embarrassed, "You're not supposed to touch me without my permission!"

"Can I touch you?"

"Fine," she muttered. "Since you've already broken the rule."

"Can I tell ya somethin'?"

"There's nowhere in the rules that said you couldn't talk to me without permission, unless you wanted to say I'm fat. Then I'd like for you to keep such a mean comment to yourself."

He chuckled, nuzzling her warm, blushing cheek. "I'm never leavin' ya," he whispered in her ear. The feel of his hot breath on her skin sent strange sensations through her body, and she shuddered.

She froze, too nervous to move, expecting him to try and kiss her, as this was just a plan of his, like it was with every boy, to whisper sweet nothings into her ear and then try and slip his hand under her shirt or something. That's how they all were.

But she turned in surprise when he pulled away, leaning back against the pillows. He took her notebook and skimmed over it, furrowing his brows in annoyance. "Mari, ya did all of these wrong!" he barked. "Now ya have ta do 'em all over again!"

Marise blinked her deep blue eyes and then twisted her lips into a pout. "Shinji should be a better teacher!" she defended. She slipped under the notebook between his legs and settled back against his chest, surprising him. He grinned and kissed her on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screeched, though there was little bite to it. Perhaps she just wasn't experience enough or was creating another fantasy, but whenever Shinji touched her, his caress always felt sincere and full of love. Was she really such a hopeless romantic?

Or maybe she was just hopelessly in love with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts on this guys! Sorry that I won't be replying to reviews here, but just know that I really appreciate all of them, as they just make my day. :D Actually, I thought no one was going to read this. xD I should really be working on Goldilocks, but I've had little inspiration/motivation to start it! Ah well, I will get to it eventually, you all know that. ;D These are easier to write too, since they're shorter, although this one felt a lot like an actual chapter.

Until next time!


	3. All the Little Things

**Two Souls, Two Hearts Pt. 3**

**Theme #70: All the Little Things**

It was all the little things that drove him friggin' crazy. She drove him up the wall with annoyance one minute, and the next minute she had him craving for her with lust. He didn't know if his mind and body could handle all of it, but he sure as hell wasn't going to back out. The girl had him hooked around her little finger, just like that red string she always wore was. Shinji still had kept it too, even though he didn't necessarily believe that objects actually held any meaning, but the technique that was Fullbring proved him wrong. Still, it was strange when Mari would stuff a candy wrapper in her draw, saying it was a keepsake she had to treasure after Shinji had given her half of his candy bar.

Or the way she would refuse to get up when they were watching a movie, even if it was four hours long, saying that she had to watch every second of it or she would miss something important. Marise wouldn't even let him pause it to get a bag of popcorn, chastising him for not making it before the movie.

"If we were to pause it," she told him, her eyes never leaving the screen, "Then we might forget something important that would have some significance later on! And it would be all your fault!"

Shinji rolled his eyes and snorted at that comment, and most every other insane remark she'd made, and there were plenty. It was the way that she would twirl a curly blonde lock when she was nervous, or how she just _had_ to drag him with her to McDonald's every Tuesday at three in the morning, even if they had to go to school four hours later.

It was the damn way she'd look in her cheerleading uniform or maid outfit that made him want to drag her away and throw her in a closet so he could ravish her until she forgot her own name. He, naturally, kept these lecherous thoughts to himself, as she'd be appalled should she ever find out he was thinking these things about her. (Though she probably already knew, from the many times she'd called him a "Yankī pervert").

How he never seemed to be embarrassed about anything confused Mari to no end. He always spoke his mind, even when others disagreed or it was a perverted comment; he didn't seem to care. She couldn't help but admire this, since she always worried about what others thought of her.

She was also apparently growing out of her glasses fetish and becoming infatuated with a new one: ties. And tongue piercings. And bowl cuts. Or maybe it was Shinji. What an embarrassing thing to admit! If she were to give any hints of just how much she really liked Shinji, he was sure to take advantage of that and tease her about it constantly. Why did he enjoy embarrassing her?

Marise couldn't deny that she kind of enjoyed his teasing though. It meant he was paying attention to her; something a lot of guys didn't do when they were with her. She would ramble on about some topic that she felt strongly about, but to the person listening, and they usually weren't, it meant nothing. Shinji, however, always proved that he was listening by making a snide or perverted comment relative to what she was saying. Even if it annoyed her, at least he was actually listening and seemed to take an interest, or tried to, in what she liked.

She can't even count the number of times she dragged him to do something she knew he wouldn't be particularly fond of, like an all-night marathon of watching _Lupin III_ or discussing which ice creams were the best, or his least favorite, going out shopping with her. The only times he enjoyed those escapades were when he dragged her to Victoria's Secrets and tried convincing her into buying some lacy lingerie, that had Marise blushing red all the way home.

It was all the little things, which, people normally don't notice in their everyday lives, that add up to create the very fabric of a strong love that bonded two together.

…And then there was that conversation he liked to have about them "bonding." She still didn't really understand that one, but from his perverted grin, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.


End file.
